diff --git a/external_dependencies/unitree_sdk2_python/setup.py b/external_dependencies/unitree_sdk2_python/setup.py
index 54d8cac8a..ad2252e61 100644
--- a/external_dependencies/unitree_sdk2_python/setup.py
+++ b/external_dependencies/unitree_sdk2_python/setup.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
       },
       python_requires='>=3.8',
       install_requires=[
-            "cyclonedds==0.10.2",
+            "cyclonedds>=0.10.2,<12",
             "numpy",
             "opencv-python",
       ],
diff --git a/external_dependencies/unitree_sdk2_python/unitree_sdk2py/core/channel.py b/external_dependencies/unitree_sdk2_python/unitree_sdk2py/core/channel.py
index daacc6323..1f7f603d6 100644
--- a/external_dependencies/unitree_sdk2_python/unitree_sdk2py/core/channel.py
+++ b/external_dependencies/unitree_sdk2_python/unitree_sdk2py/core/channel.py
@@ -196,6 +196,13 @@ def __init__(self):
         super().__init__()
 
     def Init(self, id: int, networkInterface: str = None, qos: Qos = None):
+        # Idempotent: the factory is a Singleton, and re-creating the Domain for
+        # the same process raises on cyclonedds >= 11 ("Occurred upon
+        # initialisation of a cyclonedds.domain.Domain"). gear_sonic initializes
+        # from both the control loop and the simulator in one process, so a
+        # second Init with an already-live domain must be a no-op.
+        if self.__domain is not None:
+            return True
         config = None
         # choose config
         if networkInterface is None: